Walter Kerr facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Walter Kerr
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Kerr in 1972
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| Born | Walter Francis Kerr July 8, 1913 Evanston, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | October 9, 1996 (aged 83) Dobbs Ferry, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation |
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| Education | Northwestern University (BA, MA) |
| Notable awards | Pulitzer Prize |
| Spouse |
Jean Collins
(m. 1943) |
| Children | 6 |
Walter Francis Kerr (born July 8, 1913 – died October 9, 1996) was an American writer and a famous critic of Broadway theatre. He also wrote, directed, and created song lyrics for several plays and musicals on Broadway. Walter Kerr wrote many books, mostly about theatre and movies.
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About Walter Kerr
Walter Kerr was born in Evanston, Illinois. He went to Northwestern University and earned two degrees there.
He loved writing about movies and plays from a young age. He was a film critic for his high school newspaper. He also wrote for a local newspaper called the Evanston News Index. Later, he taught speech and drama at The Catholic University of America.
In 1951, he became a theatre critic for the New York Herald Tribune newspaper. When that paper closed, he started writing theatre reviews for The New York Times in 1966. He wrote for the New York Times for 17 years.
Walter Kerr married another writer named Jean Kerr on August 9, 1943. They worked together on several shows. They wrote the musical Goldilocks (1958), which won two Tony Awards. They also created Touch and Go (1949) and King of Hearts (1954). Walter and Jean Kerr had six children together.
Walter Kerr passed away on October 9, 1996.
Reviewing Broadway Shows
Walter Kerr was known for being one of the toughest theatre critics in New York. He gave fewer good reviews than many others. He often didn't like musicals that tried new or very complex music.
He was famous for writing one of the shortest reviews ever. For a play called I Am a Camera, he simply wrote, "Me no Leica". This was a play on words, as "Leica" sounds like "like a".
Critiques of Stephen Sondheim's Musicals
Walter Kerr reviewed many shows by the famous composer Stephen Sondheim. For Sondheim's musical Company, Kerr felt it was too cold and distant. However, he did say he admired many parts of the show.
About Sondheim's Follies, he wrote that it was "intermissionless and exhausting". He thought the story was too small for such a big show. He also felt that Sondheim's music for Follies was too modern and complicated.
However, he really liked A Little Night Music. He wrote that "The score is a gift" and praised the actors and director.
He had mixed feelings about Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. He liked the music but thought it was too light for such a dark story. He wondered what the musical was truly about.
Even with his tough reviews, Kerr recognized Sondheim's talent. In 1977, he wrote that Stephen Sondheim was "the most sophisticated composer now working for the Broadway theater."
Critiques of Leonard Bernstein's Musicals
When reviewing Leonard Bernstein's famous musical West Side Story, Walter Kerr focused on the dancing. He called the dancing "the most savage, restless, electrifying dance patterns". He said, "The dancing is it. Don't look for laughter or—for that matter—tears."
He reviewed Bernstein's Candide twice. The first time, in 1956, he called it a "really spectacular disaster". But when he reviewed a new version of Candide in 1973, he changed his mind. He said it was a "most satisfying resurrection" and that the show had finally found its best way to be performed.
Critiques of Frank Loesser's Musicals
For Frank Loesser's musical The Most Happy Fella, Kerr felt it had too much going on. He thought it was "heavy with its own inventiveness". He said it was like Loesser had written two musicals and tried to fit them both into one show.
Awards and Recognition
Walter Kerr received a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1978. This award was for his excellent articles about theatre.
In 1983, he was honored by being added to the American Theater Hall of Fame.
In 1990, a theatre in New York City was renamed in his honor. It is now called the Walter Kerr Theatre.
Walter Kerr's Works
Books (selected)
- Criticism and Censorship (1954)
- How Not to Write a Play (1955)
- Pieces at Eight (1958)
- The Decline of Pleasure (1962)
- The Theatre in Spite of Itself (1963)
- Tragedy and Comedy (1967)
- Thirty Plays Hath November (1969)
- God on the Gymnasium Floor (1971)
- The Silent Clowns (1975)
- Journey to the Center of the Theater (1979)
Broadway Shows
- Count Me In 1942 musical – wrote the story (book)
- Sing Out, Sweet Land 1944 musical revue – wrote the story and directed it
- The Song of Bernadette 1946 play – wrote the story with Jean Kerr and directed it
- Touch and Go 1949 musical revue – wrote short scenes and song lyrics with Jean Kerr and directed it
- King of Hearts 1954 play – directed (written by Jean Kerr and Eleanor Brooke)
- Goldilocks 1958 musical – wrote the story and lyrics with Jean Kerr and Joan Ford (lyrics) and directed it
